The following is an overview of the events of 2011 in film, including the highest-grossing films, film festivals, award ceremonies and a list of films released and notable deaths. More film sequels were released in 2011 than any other year before it, with 27 sequels released.[1]

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Evaluation of the year

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Richard Brody of The New Yorker observed that the best films of 2011 "exalt the metaphysical, the fantastical, the transformative, the fourth-wall-breaking, or simply the impossible, and—remarkably—do so ... These films depart from 'reality' ... not in order to forget the irrefutable but in order to face it, to think about it, to act on it more freely".[2] Film critic and filmmaker Scout Tafoya of RogerEbert.com considers the year of 2011 as the best year for cinema, countering the notion of 1939 being film's best year overall, citing examples such as Drive, The Tree of Life, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Keyhole, Contagion, The Adventures of Tintin, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. He stated that "2011 housed not just some of the greatest art films of our age, but a revolution in the language of blockbuster filmmaking. One big-budget action film after another used digital cameras to show the world behind explosions in starker, stranger light, while constructing a backbone of classical ideas and images."[3]

Highest-grossing films

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The top 10 films released in 2011 by worldwide gross are as follows:[4]

Highest-grossing films of 2011
Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gross
1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Warner Bros. $1,341,511,219
2 Transformers: Dark of the Moon Paramount $1,123,794,079
3 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Disney $1,045,713,802
4 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Summit $712,205,856
5 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Paramount $694,713,380
6 Kung Fu Panda 2 $665,692,281
7 Fast Five Universal $626,137,675
8 The Hangover Part II Warner Bros. $586,764,305
9 The Smurfs Sony $563,749,323
10 Cars 2 Disney $559,852,396

Box office records

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2011 was the first year to have three films cross the billion-dollar milestone,[5] surpassing the previous year's record of two films[6] and also the first time when at least 10 films grossed more than $500 million worldwide (in 11th and 12th place, Puss in Boots and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also earned over $500 million making it twelve films to do so)

Events

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Awards

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Category/Organization 17th Critics' Choice Awards
January 12, 2012
69th Golden Globe Awards
January 15, 2012
Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards 65th BAFTA Awards
February 12, 2012
84th Academy Awards
February 26, 2012
Drama Musical or Comedy
Best Film The Artist The Descendants The Artist
Best Director Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist
Martin Scorsese
Hugo
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist
Best Actor George Clooney
The Descendants
Jean Dujardin
The Artist
Best Actress Viola Davis
The Help
Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams
My Week with Marilyn
Viola Davis
The Help
Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer
Beginners
Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer
The Help
Best Screenplay, Adapted Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
Moneyball
Woody Allen
Midnight in Paris
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
The Descendants
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
The Descendants
Best Screenplay, Original Woody Allen
Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen
Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist
Woody Allen
Midnight in Paris
Best Animated Film Rango The Adventures of Tintin Rango
Best Original Score The Artist
Ludovic Bource
The Artist
Ludovic Bource
Best Original Song "Life's a Happy Song"
The Muppets
"Masterpiece"
W.E.
"Man or Muppet"
The Muppets
Best Foreign Language Film A Separation The Skin I Live In A Separation
Best Documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest Senna Undefeated

2011 films

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By country/region

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By genre/medium

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Births

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Deaths

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Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 2 Anne Francis 80 US Actress
2 Pete Postlethwaite 64 UK Actor
2 Miriam Seegar 103 US Actress
2 Patricia Smith 80 US Actress
2 Margot Stevenson 98 US Actress
3 Jill Haworth 65 UK Actress
3 Yosef Shiloach 69 Iran Actor
9 Peter Yates 81 UK Director
11 David Nelson 74 US Actor
15 Susannah York 72 UK Actress
16 Paul Picerni 88 US Actor
16 Juan Piquer Simón 75 Spain Director
20 Bruce Gordon 94 US Actor
21 Theoni V. Aldredge 82 Greece Costume Designer
24 Bernd Eichinger 61 Germany Producer, Screenwriter
26 María Mercader 92 Spain Actress
26 Mario Scaccia 91 Italy Actor
27 Charlie Callas 83 US Actor
30 John Barry 77 UK Composer
31 Michael Tolan 86 US Actor
February 2 Margaret John 84 UK Actress
3 Maria Schneider 58 France Actress
4 Fred Hole 75 UK Art Director
4 Tura Satana 72 Japan Actress
5 Donald Peterman 79 US Cinematographer
10 Bill Justice 97 US Animator
11 Myrna Dell 86 US Actress
12 Betty Garrett 91 US Actress, Dancer, Singer
12 Kenneth Mars 75 US Actor
13 Larry Holden 49 US Actor
13 T. P. McKenna 81 Ireland Actor
14 David F. Friedman 87 US Producer
16 Alfred Burke 92 UK Actor
16 Len Lesser 88 US Actor
17 Perry Moore 39 US Producer, Director
18 Walter Seltzer 96 US Producer
20 Raphaël Bretton 91 France Set Decorator
26 Greg Goossen 65 US Actor
27 Gary Winick 49 US Director, Producer
28 Annie Girardot 79 France Actress
28 Nick LaTour 84 US Actor
28 Jane Russell 89 US Actress
March 4 Charles Jarrott 83 UK Director
11 Hugh Martin 96 US Composer
17 Michael Gough 94 UK Actor
18 Enzo Cannavale 82 Italy Actor
21 Joe Wizan 76 US Producer
22 Helen Stenborg 86 US Actress
23 Elizabeth Taylor 79 UK Actress
27 Farley Granger 85 US Actor
April 2 Bill Varney 77 US Sound Engineer
3 Kevin Jarre 56 US Screenwriter
4 Wayne Robson 64 Canada Actor
6 Skip O'Brien 60 US Actor
9 Sidney Lumet 86 US Director, Producer, Screenwriter
11 Angela Scoular 65 UK Actress
14 Trevor Bannister 76 UK Actor
17 Michael Sarrazin 70 Canada Actor
23 Terence Longdon 88 UK Actor
24 Marie-France Pisier 66 France Actress
28 William Campbell 87 US Actor
May 3 Jackie Cooper 88 US Actor, Director
4 Mary Murphy 80 US Actress
5 Arthur Laurents 93 US Screenwriter
5 Dana Wynter 79 Germany Actress
8 Hilton Rosemarin 58 Canada Set Decorator
9 Dolores Fuller 88 US Actress
15 Barbara Stuart 76 US Actress
16 Edward Hardwicke 78 UK Actor
20 Randy Savage 58 US Actor
21 David J. Hudson 67 US Sound Engineer
21 Bill Hunter 71 Australia Actor
22 Joseph Brooks 73 US Director, Screenwriter, Songwriter
22 Gimel Everett 60 US Producer, Screenwriter
27 Jeff Conaway 60 US Actor
30 Clarice Taylor 93 US Actress
June 3 James Arness 88 US Actor
3 Pat Jackson 95 UK Director
3 Miriam Karlin 85 UK Actress
6 John Boswall 91 UK Actor
7 Jorge Semprún 87 Spain Screenwriter
7 Leonard B. Stern 87 US Screenwriter, Director
8 John Mackenzie 83 UK Director
11 Gunnar Fischer 100 Sweden Cinematographer
12 Laura Ziskin 61 US Producer
14 Badi Uzzaman 72 India Actor
19 Joel Simon 60 US Producer
20 Ryan Dunn 34 US Actor
22 David Rayfiel 87 US Screenwriter
23 Peter Falk 83 US Actor
25 Alice Playten 63 US Actress
25 Margaret Tyzack 79 UK Actress
26 Edith Fellows 88 US Actress
27 Elaine Stewart 81 US Actress
July 1 Leslie Brooks 88 US Actress
3 Anna Massey 73 UK Actress
5 Gordon Tootoosis 69 Canada Actor
8 Roberts Blossom 87 US Actor
15 Googie Withers 94 UK Actress
17 David Ngoombujarra 44 Australia Actor
19 Sheila Burrell 89 UK Actress
22 Tom Aldredge 83 US Actor
22 Linda Christian 87 Mexico Actress
24 Tresa Hughes 81 US Actress
24 G. D. Spradlin 90 US Actor
25 Michael Cacoyannis 89 Greece Director, Producer, Screenwriter
26 Silvio Narizzano 84 Canada Director
27 Polly Platt 72 US Producer, Screenwriter, Production Designer
August 2 Richard Pearson 93 UK Actor
3 Bubba Smith 66 US Actor
5 Francesco Quinn 48 Italy Actor
6 John Wood 81 UK Actor
14 Shammi Kapoor 79 India Actor, Director
19 Raúl Ruiz 70 Chile Director
19 Jimmy Sangster 83 UK Screenwriter
23 Sybil Jason 83 US Actress
23 Michael Showers 45 US Actor
24 Frank DiLeo 63 US Actor
24 Jack Hayes 93 US Composer, Orchestrator
27 Eve Brent 82 US Actress
September 10 Cliff Robertson 88 US Actor
11 Andy Whitfield 39 UK Actor
13 John Calley 81 US Producer, Executive
13 Jack Garner 84 US Actor
15 Frances Bay 92 Canada Actress
16 Norma Eberhardt 82 US Actress
19 John Dunning 84 Canada Producer
21 Paulette Dubost 100 France Actress
22 Peter E. Berger 67 US Film Editor
22 Jonathan Cecil 72 UK Actor
26 David Zelag Goodman 81 US Screenwriter
26 Jerry Haynes 84 US Actor
27 Fritz Manes 79 US Producer
October 2 Peter Przygodda 69 Germany Film Editor
4 Doris Belack 85 US Actress
5 Steve Jobs 56 US Studio Executive
5 Charles Napier 75 US Actor
6 Diane Cilento 78 Australia Actress
7 George Baker 80 UK Actor
8 David Hess 75 US Actor
10 Ray Aghayan 83 US Costume Designer
10 Alan Fudge 67 US Actor
13 Sheila Allen 78 UK Actress
13 Barbara Kent 103 Canada Actress
18 Norman Corwin 101 US Screenwriter
20 Sue Lloyd 72 UK Actress
31 Gilbert Cates 77 US Director, Producer
November 2 Sid Melton 94 US Actor
2 Leonard Stone 87 US Actor
3 Rosángela Balbó 70 Italy Actress
3 Bruno Rubeo 65 Italy Production Designer
4 Theadora Van Runkle 83 US Costume Designer
6 Margaret Field 89 US Actress
6 Hal Kanter 92 US Screenwriter, Director
8 Gene Cantamessa 80 US Sound Engineer
8 Heavy D 44 US Rapper, Actor
15 Dulcie Gray 95 UK Actress
15 Karl Slover 93 US Actor
16 Maureen Swanson 78 UK Actress
19 Russell Garcia 95 US Composer
19 John Neville 86 UK Actor
20 Dorothy Morris 89 US Actress
21 Syd Cain 93 UK Production Designer
27 Ken Russell 84 UK Director, Screenwriter
28 Vittorio De Seta 88 Italy Director, Screenwriter
28 Patrice O'Neal 41 US Comedian, Actor
December 1 Bill McKinney 80 US Actor
3 Dev Anand 88 India Actor, Director, Producer
4 Marion Dougherty 88 US Casting Director
6 Giancarlo Badessi 83 Italy Actor
7 Harry Morgan 96 US Actor
8 Đơn Dương 54 Vietnam Actor
11 Harold Hopkins 67 Australia Actor
12 Bert Schneider 78 US Producer
14 Don Sharp 67 Australia Director
16 Robert Easton 81 US Actor, Dialogue Coach
16 Nicol Williamson 73 UK Actor
18 Doe Avedon 86 US Actress
20 Yoshimitsu Morita 61 Japan Director
22 William Duell 88 US Actor
23 Denise Darcel 87 US Actress
26 Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. 71 Mexico Actor
27 Betty Jane Rhodes 90 US Actress, Singer

Film debuts

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References

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  1. ^ "2011 Preview: Sequels – Now, More Than Ever". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  2. ^ Adams, Ryan (7 December 2011). "Richard Brody names "The 26 Best Films of 2011"". Awards Daily. Sasha Stone. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  3. ^ Tafoya, Scout (1 December 2015). "The Unloved, Part 24: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. ^ "2011 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Stewart, Andrew (December 28, 2011). "Domestic B.O. falls 3% in 2011". Variety. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Finke, Nikki (August 27, 2010). "Disney Smashes Box Office Records: Toy Story 3 Crossing $1B, Studio First To Release 2 Billion-Dollar Pics In Single Year". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
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